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The emotion-filled issue related to the use of thimerosal, a preservative which was formerly used in vaccines and had a mercury base in it, is the subject of the new legal drama "Eli Stone," which has drawn the ire of pediatricians across the U.S.

According to the pediatricians, they say it could cause parents to stop having their children immunized out of fear.

American Academy of Pediatrics president Dr. Renee Jenkins wrote to ABC president Anne Sweeney saying, the group is "alarmed that this program could lead to a tragic decline in the immunization rate.

"In the United Kingdom, erroneous reports linking the measles vaccine to autism prompted a decline in vaccination and the worst outbreak of measles in two decades, including the deaths of several children."

Responding to the criticism, Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, who are the show's creators, said, "We actually share the concern of the American Academy of Pediatrics. We believe that children should be vaccinated." Yet he added, "We hope that people do watch the episode and draw their own conclusions."

While the Centers for Disease Control say a number of studies say there's no scientific link between autism and thimerosal, that hasn't stop a very emotional debate that continues to this day between medical authorities and parents and a number of advocates over the safety in vaccines used for children. Advocates say thimerosal is the major cause of autism in young children.

In the particular episode of Eli Stone, the trial lawyer fights over this very issue with a large corporation, and wins it for the mother of a boy who has autism, who is then awarded $5.2 million in damages by a jury. John Edwards anyone?